Off-season hard work is already paying off for 20 year old Zubayr Hamza. The right hand batter came in when his side needed him the most after they lost four wickets in 17.3 overs for 70 runs on Day 1 of their First Class Provincial Sunfoil 3-Day Cup match against Northern Cape (NC) at Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Thursday, 08 October 2015. Their first game for the 2015/16 season.

Western Province (WP) won the toss and elected to bat first.

Fast bowler Jan Frylinck took his first wicket when he dismissed opener Matthew Kleinveldt (9) in the 8th over and further dismissed WP captain Pieter Malan (25) in the 12 over.

Hamza came in and showed very little respect for NC bowlers scoring a solid 156 runs in 179 balls (23 fours and 5 sixes) with a strike rate of 87.15 before falling into the hands of medium bowler, Paul Kruger. He and Jason Smith (77) constructed a 295-run fifth wicket partnership to take their side past the 290 mark.

George Linde was unbeaten on 52 runs off 50 balls when Captain Pieter Malan called for a declaration of innings with the score on 367 for 7 in 85 overs in the first innings.

With the ball still new, Pieter Malan’s strategic move to bring off-breaker Dane Piedt in the fifth over of NC’s innings paid off as the spinner dismissed opener Letlotlo Sesele for 16 in the second ball of his first over before the umpires called for stumps two overs later.

At close of play, NC are 29 for 1 in seven overs. They trail by 338 runs with 9 wickets in the 1st innings.